


Wreckage

by GH_123



Series: Prompt Requests [6]
Category: Hollyoaks
Genre: Car Accidents, Established Relationship, Love, M/M, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt, prompt request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 14:45:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18523687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GH_123/pseuds/GH_123
Summary: Prompt request centred around Harry and James being involved in a car accident.See notes for prompt.





	Wreckage

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt was left on the tumblr account jarryprompts. 
> 
> _Jarry both injured in some kind of accident and they're both arguing about who the paramedic should take care of/get out of the wreckage first_
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“Have you got everything?” James asked as he watched Harry trudge wearily up the path towards the car, a huge bag hauled over his shoulder.

They had just spent the week together in a idyllic little cottage in the Lancashire countryside. It had been a birthday gift for James from Harry, he could not have picked a better place or time for such a peaceful getaway. 

After the last few months they had had, it was a much needed break. It was bliss and absolute perfection all wrapped up in one week. Their first little break away as a fully fledged couple.

***

The indicator clicked loudly as they waited to turn right at the traffic lights. The only downfall with travelling this late at night was the overwhelming sense of tiredness that consumed them both. The coffee cups sat empty in the drinks holders, giving James the final half an hour boost of energy he would need to complete the journey. 

“Does that have to be so loud” Harry groaned from the passenger side, his eyes gently closed as his head lay against the cold, condensed window. Before they had embarked on this journey, Harry had promised James that he would stay awake with him, keep him talking and alert, take his mind off of the sleep that would inevitably hit him. 

The car games that James had been reluctant to play had come to an end around an hour ago, when Harry finally gave in and fell asleep. If they had been at home James would have draped a blanket over him to keep him warm and placed a loving kiss to the top of his head. Due to the constraint of his seatbelt and the fact he was driving the car, whenever James could, he would steal a glance at his gorgeous boyfriend, all curled up, content and peaceful, it made his heart feel so full. He wasn’t sure he’d ever looked at someone and felt an instant rush of love like he did when he was with Harry.

“There’s not a lot I can really do about that” James smiled. “Good sleep?” 

“Yeah” Harry nodded as he carefully opened his eyes, he slowly moved his neck from side to side, his muscles stiff and aching from the position he had been sleeping in. “How long was I out for?” Harry asked, his concept of time a little hazy in his sleepy state.

“About an hour” 

“Sorry” Harry sat himself upright and rubbed at his eyes in a bid to quickly wake himself up. “It annoys me when this happens” Harry gestured to the traffic lights that were sat on red. “It’s gone midnight, there’s no one around” he sighed. Travelling at night meant that the roads were somewhat eerily quiet, no passing traffic or passers by. There was something James quite liked about driving at the dead of night, being awake while the rest of the world was sleeping, the stillness and silence of it all he found somewhat relaxing, it was a contrast to hustle and bustle of city life that he was accustomed too. Clearly Harry didn’t share the same view. 

“Safety first” James smiled as he reached across and patted Harry’s thigh. Although brief, Harry relished in the contact, they both did, they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off of each other all week. 

They had started their days later than usual, spending most of the morning tucked away in bed, making the most of their time alone in completely undisturbed bliss. When they had left the confines of their bed and ventured out of the cottage, they were often hand in hand. James would have never displayed this level of public affection back in Hollyoaks but there was something about being away from prying eyes and village gossip that allowed him to completely be himself, be the James that he often kept behind closed doors. 

When night had fallen they often found themselves fine dining over a glass of wine, before retreating back to their little cottage for a night curled up in front of the fire. The week away had James’ name stamped all over it, Harry wondered whether he would enjoy it as much as James but he found himself so content living this kind of life. He seemed to completely adapt to it with ease.

“I’ve loved this week” Harry smiled as he threaded his fingers through James’ hand that was currently resting on his thigh. “I don’t want to go back to reality” he sighed as his mind drifted to the alarm he had set for work the following morning. 

“We should get away more often” 

James removed his hand away from Harry’s and returned it to the steering wheel, he turned his attention back to the road just in time to watch the lights turn from red to amber, amber to green. The indicator still ticking away as he prepared to turn right, he lifted his foot off of the clutch and hit the accelerator. 

The roads were quiet, he didn’t look. He didn’t feel like he needed to look, the green light being his security, letting him know it was okay. 

It wasn’t okay. 

Everything seemed to happen so quickly. A truck heading in their direction seemed to have lost control. Despite it being their right of way it kept on coming, it was going too fast, James didn’t have enough time to react, the brightness of the headlights was blinding and completely hindered his reaction, not that he could stop what was about to happen. 

With in seconds the crushing sound of metal colliding with each other was deafening as the truck slammed into the drivers side of the car. James taking the majority of the impact, as the glass shattered and he felt his body being thrown from side to side with such a force. 

The speed of the crash sent the car flying through the air, tipping it on to its side, another shattering sound of glass could be heard as the passenger window smashed. This time, Harry taking the full force of the impact. The car flipped for a second time, this time adding more injury to James’ already fragile body, before finally stopping, landing wedged between a wall and a lamppost.

*** 

It took Harry a while to process what had just happened, there was a slight delay with his memory kicking in and piecing together the horrific event that had just occurred. At first he thought it was all one horrible, terrifying dream, but the sudden pain he felt in his head forced reality upon him. 

He slowly opened his eyes and was met with the aftermath of the crash. It had all happened so quick, but the replay in Harry’s head seemed to be playing in slow motion, he had seen the truck hurdling towards them, he had watched as it slammed into James. 

Oh god. James.

Harry turned his head as much as he could, fighting through the pain that coursed its way through his body. If he thought his neck was aching after his little nap, this took it to a whole new level. The light from the lamppost which they were currently wedged between provided Harry with enough light to see him. As soon as his eyes landed upon him, he felt his heart break and hot tears sting at his eyes. 

He was laying there lifeless, completely still, his body slumped against what was left of his side of the car. He looked as if he didn’t have any bones or muscle to hold him together, his whole body floppy and limp. Harry noticed a rather large wound on his head, it looked sore and deep. The blood already mattered in his dark hair, yet still pouring down the side of his face at quite a worrying speed. 

“James” his voice was quiet and weak, he hoped that he would sit up and be his usual sarcastic self, but Harry was met with silence. It was in the mist of all of this that he became acutely aware of the loud sirens and blue flashing lights in the background. He had obviously been out a little longer than he thought, clearly giving someone the time to call the emergency services. 

“Hello, can anyone hear me?” Harry heard a woman’s voice ask as she approached. It sounded like she was somewhere behind him, but his neck was too painful to move. 

“Yeah, I can hear you” Harry struggled to find his voice. 

“I’m Molly. I’m a paramedic. Can you tell me your name?” she asked, as she appeared around James’ side of the car, it was really the only access point, the wall that they were squashed between, trapping Harry in. There was something about her face that instantly told Harry she was kind, but she had an element of efficiency and urgency to her tone. 

“Harry” 

“Harry, can you tell me who this is?” she asked referring to James who she could instantly see was in a much worse state than Harry.

“Yeah. James.” Harry answered quickly, he was well aware that James needed medical attention and fast. Before he had time to say anything else, Molly and another paramedic started tending to him. 

“This is James” the male paramedic asked Harry to clarify. He very slowly and painful nodded his head. “Has he been unconscious the whole time?” 

“Yeah” 

“James, my name is Andy. Can you hear me at all?” he asked as Molly began asking Harry questions about his current state. Harry wasn’t really listening though, again he was waiting with baited breath, praying and willing for James to respond in some way. “James, can you open your eyes for me?” Harry heard him ask, again nothing. 

“I-I-Is he d-dead?” Harry had never had to ask that question before, he had never found himself in such a horrific situation to warrant such a question. He felt his bottom lip tremble as he anticipated the answer, he was on the verge of completely crumbling. He couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not ever. 

“No. He’s still breathing and he has a pulse” Andy answered very matter of fact. “We need to stem the bleeding from his head” he ordered urgently. 

Molly snapped on a pair of gloves and quickly inspected the wound for any traces of material that may need to be removed. She used, what to Harry looked like a large pair of tweezers to remove several fragments of glass from the cut, at this moment Harry was thankful James was unconscious. It looked excruciatingly painful. Satisfied that everything was removed, she then placed a clean cloth to the wound, applying firm pressure. Despite not getting a reaction from him, she spoke to James the whole time, constantly offering reassurance.

It was only now that Harry was watching the drama unfold in front of him, that he became aware of the cut he too had suffered to his head. He reached up, gently touching his temple to feel the damp, stickiness of the blood that seemed to have dried there.

“We’ll get that checked out once we get you out of here. The fire service should be here soon” Molly informed him upon seeing Harry discover his own injury. It was a common occurrence for someone who suffers minor injuries to only really become aware of them once the shock has died down. “We just need to get James out first, once the bleeding has subsided we’ll try to move him” she explained. “Is there another injury site?” she asked, wanting to know if any other part of James was bleeding before they attempted to move him.

“I don’t think so” Harry’s eyes darted over his body quickly, scanning every area and then again and again. He would never live with himself if he missed something crucial. 

“Harry” James groaned quietly as he started to come round, his eyes remaining closed, he didn’t seem to possess the strength to open them. “Harry” he tried again, a little louder this time. Although James knew he wasn’t okay, he had to make sure Harry was. 

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. I’m here” Harry reached out for his hand. They were cold and cut. The gentle touch and sudden contact was a comforting gesture for both of them. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, he tried to move his head but let out a groan from the pain it must have caused him.

“James, try to keep still for me. You’ve cut your head, we’re trying to suppress the bleeding and then we’ll work on getting you out” Molly explained, still holding the cloth to his head, she had applied a fresh one moments before he regained consciousness. 

“I’m okay. You just keep still, okay. Don’t worry about moving, just stay exactly where you are” Harry spoke to him softly as he trailed his thumb over James’ hand. 

“You need to get out” James whimpered.

“What?” Harry tried to move closer.

“They need to get you out first, you need to be safe” Harry could tell that his voice was getting weaker, he was fighting with consciousness, even in quite possibly the worst state he had ever been in, James was still concerned for Harry’s welfare.

“I’m okay. You’re the one they need to help first. You’re really hurt” Harry told him, he wasn’t sure how aware James was of his injuries. 

“We’ll get to Harry eventually” Molly told James, little did she know how stubborn James could be with or without his injuries. 

“You should have got him out straight away” he mumbled. Harry was sure he wasn’t thinking straight, his mind was all over the place. He seemed to be fixated on Harry’s safety, no matter what people around him were telling him. 

“Only you hey” Harry smiled as he gently squeezed the hand that he was holding. “Only you could be in a car accident, bleeding, needing medical attention and you’re still able to pick an argument” Harry laughed lightly as tears pricked at his eyes.

In the past, James’ stubbornness and ability to pick an argument with anyone about anything often drove Harry insane. Now, faced with the reality in front of him, and still the potential thought of never hearing him argue again, Harry seemed more than happy to indulge him. 

“He’s losing a lot of blood. We need to get him out now” Molly called out to the fire brigade who had just arrived. It had only been a few minutes since Molly and Andy had arrived themselves, but for Harry, it felt like hours had gone by. Molly seemed to be working on autopilot, it was almost as if something was going wrong, Harry imagined that if they were in a hospital, now would be the time where the machines would start rapidly beeping. 

“James stay with me, okay. Just keep talking to me” the intensity of the situation was starting to rub off on Harry, he was desperate to keep James conscious, to keep him with him until they had managed to get him out of the car. The firefighters already setting to work on cutting him out of the car. 

“I love you” 

“I love you too. I love you so much” Harry was crying now, tears streaming down his face. All he wanted to do was be close to him, to wrap him up in his arms and tell him he was going to be okay. They had worked so hard to get to where they were, it was so perfect, it couldn’t just all end now. “Keep talking to me, let’s just talk about anything” he urged, his fingers gently brushing against James’, they were cut and sore, he didn’t want to grab hold of his hand and cause him any more pain. 

“Don’t make me play those stupid games from earlier” James muttered and Harry was sure their was a small smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth. 

“We don’t have to do that” Harry laughed gently, faltering when he suddenly became aware of the pain in his ribs, without meaning to he let out a groan. 

“See, you’re not okay” James spoke, his voice seemed to be growing more distant. “They need to help you, they need to get you out, you’re in pain” he was still being stubborn and demanding even in a fairly severe condition. James as of yet, hadn’t really acknowledged his own pain, Harry was unsure whether that was because he was protecting him or whether his body just hadn’t made it known to him yet. Harry pondered over whether to ask the question, eventually deciding not to because he knew that if the answer was yes, it would break his heart. 

“Will you stop. I’m okay” Harry insisted although he was utterly convinced James wasn’t buying it. He watched as Molly changed the cloth again on James’ head, it didn’t look as bad as before, it didn’t seem to be pouring out of him as quickly this time. Harry had always thought he was squeamish, but actually, now that he was very much thrown in there, he found himself responding pretty well, it was just instinctive to be there for him. Harry noticed he was trying to move, his body ever so slightly shifting. “Don’t move, you need to stay still” he told him gently. 

“I’m so tired” James moaned. 

“Keep talking to me. Tell me what we’re going to do when we get out of here. Our future?” Harry asked him quickly, he was desperate for him not to fall asleep, because even if sleep was all it was, Harry had no way of knowing he was okay. 

“We’ll get married” it really wasn’t the answer Harry was expecting, if anything he was expecting him to say something completely materialistic. The admission completely took him by surprise but it made his heart feel whole all the same. It meant the world to Harry to know that James saw a future with him, it hadn’t been plain sailing so to know that there was a future there was everything to him. 

“Really?” Harry couldn’t quite believe that they were having this conversation under these circumstances. “When are we having this wedding then?” Harry asked jokingly, however he was intrigued to know more, James never opened up or spoke about things like this. 

“Soon” was James’ reply and that alone was enough to satisfy Harry. 

The next few moments seemed to happen so fast as the paramedics worked quickly to free James from the wreckage. He still looked so limp and fragile as he was placed on to the stretcher, Harry watched them all flock around him, he could hear them asking James questions, he was trying to listen carefully for the response but he couldn’t hear anything. He wanted nothing more than to be there with him, holding his hand and letting him know that everything was going to be okay. 

***

After a few days in hospital, James was finally ready to be discharged. He had absolutely hated being cooped up in a hospital bed, being restricted on what he could and couldn’t do had been driving him crazy. He was so used to being on the go, being in control, that was part of the problem, all of this was out of his control.

Harry was under strict instructions to take care of him once he returned home, taking care of James went without saying, he knew how important it was that he took things easy, but getting that message across to James would be easier said than done. 

“Can we swing by the office on the way home, I need to collect some files” James asked as Harry entered his room.

“Files?”

“Yes, I need to work” James replied as if Harry was asking a ridiculous question. He was already behind with the cases that he knew would just be building up.

“James, you’re not working. You need to still be resting, you’ve just...”

“I know, I’ve just been in an accident” James rolled his eyes, he was sick of people telling him about it. He knew full well what had happened, he had lived through the experience. “I just want everything to go back to normal.”

“And it will, once you have rested up at home. I’m not having you working James, I know what you’re like, you’ll over do it and...”

“And what?”

“I don’t know” Harry shrugged “I’m not letting you run that risk. I almost lost you the other day, I don’t want to ever go through that again” James hated hearing Harry talk about how he felt during that evening, knowing that things could have ended so differently, that he could have left Harry behind. It broke him. 

“It’s just sitting on the couch with a laptop” James tried to reason, he was determined to win this battle.

“I don’t care”

“I...”

“I’m not arguing with you on this James” Harry’s voice was stern. “I’m putting my foot down. Total rest, even if I have to lock you in the bedroom.”

“Well, I quite like the sound of that”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. I really enjoyed writing this one so thank you to whoever requested it for inspiring me.
> 
> Please leave any comments and any requests you may have below. xxx


End file.
